We have all seen, whether live, in photographs or on postcards, some of Claude Monet's legendary water lily paintings. They are in museums all over the world and are among the most beloved works of art of the past century. Yet, ironically, these soothing images were created amid terrible personal turmoil and sadness.

2 out of 5 stars

Wonderful book. Awful awful narration.

By
Stephanie Croquez
on
06-23-17

In Montmartre

Picasso, Matisse and the Birth of Modernist Art

By:
Sue Roe

Narrated by:
Emma Bering

Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
138

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
123

Story

4 out of 5 stars
124

In Montmartre is a colorful history of the birth of modernist art as it arose from one of the most astonishing collections of artistic talent ever assembled. It begins in October 1900, as a teenage Pablo Picasso, eager for fame and fortune, first makes his way up the hillside of Paris' famous windmill-topped district.

5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

By
Luis
on
05-10-17

Vincent & Theo

The Van Gogh Brothers

By:
Deborah Heiligman

Narrated by:
Phil Fox

Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
155

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
137

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
137

The deep and enduring friendship between Vincent and Theo Van Gogh defined both brothers' lives. As a confidant, champion, sympathizer, and friend, Theo financially and emotionally supported his older brother as the artistic but troubled Vincent struggled to find his path in life as both a painter and a man. Throughout that struggle, the brothers shared everything - swapping stories of lovers and friends, successes and disappointments, dreams and ambitions.

5 out of 5 stars

I could hardly hit the pause button.

By
Zachary
on
08-12-17

Lust for Life

By:
Irving Stone

Narrated by:
Steve West

Length: 19 hrs and 37 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
264

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
229

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
226

Lust for Life is Irving Stone's biographical novel about the life of the Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh. Largely based on the letters Van Gogh wrote to his brother, Theo, the novel details the artist's difficult life, as well as describing the origins of many of his famous paintings, such as
The Potato Eaters, Sunflowers, and others.

5 out of 5 stars

Great story

By
Jean
on
05-05-12

Picasso and the Painting That Shocked the World

By:
Miles J. Unger

Narrated by:
Malcolm Hillgartner

Length: 15 hrs and 28 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
27

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
25

Story

5 out of 5 stars
25

In 1900, an 18-year-old Spaniard named Pablo Picasso made his first trip to Paris. It was in this glittering capital of the international art world that, after suffering years of poverty and neglect, he emerged as the leader of a bohemian band of painters, sculptors, and poets. Fueled by opium and alcohol, inspired by raucous late-night conversations at the Lapin Agile cabaret, Picasso and his friends resolved to shake up the world.

4 out of 5 stars

Must understand "ART SPEAK"

By
Skip
on
07-11-18

Caravaggio

A Life Sacred and Profane

By:
Andrew Graham-Dixon

Narrated by:
Edoardo Ballerini

Length: 18 hrs and 24 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
219

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
196

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
197

In the tradition of John Richardson's Picasso, a commanding new biography of the Italian master's tumultuous life and mysterious death. For four hundred years Caravaggio's (1571-1610) staggering artistic achievements have thrilled viewers, yet his volatile personal trajectory - the murder of Ranuccio Tomasini, the doubt surrounding Caravaggio's sexuality, the chain of events that began with his imprisonment on Malta and ended with his premature death - has long confounded historians.

4 out of 5 stars

Listen to this with his art work in front of you

By
Splendifermoose
on
10-19-15

Mad Enchantment

Claude Monet and the Painting of the Water Lilies

By:
Ross King

Narrated by:
Joel Richards

Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
110

Performance

3.5 out of 5 stars
93

Story

4 out of 5 stars
92

We have all seen, whether live, in photographs or on postcards, some of Claude Monet's legendary water lily paintings. They are in museums all over the world and are among the most beloved works of art of the past century. Yet, ironically, these soothing images were created amid terrible personal turmoil and sadness.

2 out of 5 stars

Wonderful book. Awful awful narration.

By
Stephanie Croquez
on
06-23-17

In Montmartre

Picasso, Matisse and the Birth of Modernist Art

By:
Sue Roe

Narrated by:
Emma Bering

Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
138

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
123

Story

4 out of 5 stars
124

In Montmartre is a colorful history of the birth of modernist art as it arose from one of the most astonishing collections of artistic talent ever assembled. It begins in October 1900, as a teenage Pablo Picasso, eager for fame and fortune, first makes his way up the hillside of Paris' famous windmill-topped district.

5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

By
Luis
on
05-10-17

Vincent & Theo

The Van Gogh Brothers

By:
Deborah Heiligman

Narrated by:
Phil Fox

Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
155

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
137

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
137

The deep and enduring friendship between Vincent and Theo Van Gogh defined both brothers' lives. As a confidant, champion, sympathizer, and friend, Theo financially and emotionally supported his older brother as the artistic but troubled Vincent struggled to find his path in life as both a painter and a man. Throughout that struggle, the brothers shared everything - swapping stories of lovers and friends, successes and disappointments, dreams and ambitions.

5 out of 5 stars

I could hardly hit the pause button.

By
Zachary
on
08-12-17

Lust for Life

By:
Irving Stone

Narrated by:
Steve West

Length: 19 hrs and 37 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
264

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
229

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
226

Lust for Life is Irving Stone's biographical novel about the life of the Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh. Largely based on the letters Van Gogh wrote to his brother, Theo, the novel details the artist's difficult life, as well as describing the origins of many of his famous paintings, such as
The Potato Eaters, Sunflowers, and others.

5 out of 5 stars

Great story

By
Jean
on
05-05-12

Picasso and the Painting That Shocked the World

By:
Miles J. Unger

Narrated by:
Malcolm Hillgartner

Length: 15 hrs and 28 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
27

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
25

Story

5 out of 5 stars
25

In 1900, an 18-year-old Spaniard named Pablo Picasso made his first trip to Paris. It was in this glittering capital of the international art world that, after suffering years of poverty and neglect, he emerged as the leader of a bohemian band of painters, sculptors, and poets. Fueled by opium and alcohol, inspired by raucous late-night conversations at the Lapin Agile cabaret, Picasso and his friends resolved to shake up the world.

4 out of 5 stars

Must understand "ART SPEAK"

By
Skip
on
07-11-18

Caravaggio

A Life Sacred and Profane

By:
Andrew Graham-Dixon

Narrated by:
Edoardo Ballerini

Length: 18 hrs and 24 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
219

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
196

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
197

In the tradition of John Richardson's Picasso, a commanding new biography of the Italian master's tumultuous life and mysterious death. For four hundred years Caravaggio's (1571-1610) staggering artistic achievements have thrilled viewers, yet his volatile personal trajectory - the murder of Ranuccio Tomasini, the doubt surrounding Caravaggio's sexuality, the chain of events that began with his imprisonment on Malta and ended with his premature death - has long confounded historians.

4 out of 5 stars

Listen to this with his art work in front of you

By
Splendifermoose
on
10-19-15

The Judgment of Paris

The Revolutionary Decade that Gave the World Impressionism

By:
Ross King

Narrated by:
Tristan Layton

Length: 14 hrs and 47 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
339

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
219

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
216

While the Civil War raged in America, another very different revolution was beginning to take shape across the Atlantic, in the studios of Paris. The artists who would make Impressionism the most popular art form in history were showing their first paintings amid scorn and derision from the French artistic establishment. Indeed, no artistic movement has ever been, at its inception, quite so controversial.

5 out of 5 stars

A marvelous book

By
Stephen
on
01-31-06

Vincent van Gogh

A Life from Beginning to End

By:
Hourly History

Narrated by:
Christopher Boozell

Length: 1 hr and 4 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
8

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
7

Story

5 out of 5 stars
7

Vincent van Gogh is one of the world’s most famous artists, and his paintings are among the world’s most valuable. The archetypal starving artist, Vincent died aged just 37 years by his own hand, poor, isolated, and, in his eyes, a failure. Yet, in Vincent’s life story we can see the evolution of a boy becoming a man becoming a great artist, whether his contemporaries could see it at the time or not.

5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyed

By
Tiger
on
08-29-18

The Art of Rivalry

Four Friendships, Betrayals, and Breakthroughs in Modern Art

By:
Sebastian Smee

Narrated by:
Bob Souer

Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
129

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
118

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
118

Rivalry is at the heart of some of the most famous and fruitful relationships in history.
The Art of Rivalry follows eight celebrated artists, each linked to a counterpart by friendship, admiration, envy, and ambition. All eight are household names today. But to achieve what they did, each needed the influence of a contemporary - one who was equally ambitious but who possessed sharply contrasting strengths and weaknesses.

4 out of 5 stars

Living with Genius

By
David
on
11-21-16

Vincent van Gogh

A Biography

By:
Julius Meier-Graefe

Narrated by:
Wanda McCaddon

Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
35

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
31

Story

4 out of 5 stars
30

The lives of many famous artists have been shrouded in mystery and conjecture, but none have been more controversial than the life of Vincent van Gogh. Remembered for his swirling brushstrokes and burning colors, Vincent van Gogh is today one of the best-known painters. Though his career as a painter spanned less than ten years, he produced a body of work that remains one of the most enduring in all of modern art. In his lifetime, however, he received little recognition. Today his paintings sell for countless millions, yet during his lifetime, van Gogh managed to sell just one painting.

3 out of 5 stars

More Poetry Than Biography...

By
Douglas
on
05-20-13

Broad Strokes

15 Women Who Made Art and Made History (in That Order)

By:
Bridget Quinn

Narrated by:
Tavia Gilbert

Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
75

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
67

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
64

Historically, major women artists have been excluded from the mainstream art canon. Aligned with the resurgence of feminism in pop culture,
Broad Strokes offers an entertaining corrective to that omission. Art historian Bridget Quinn delves into the lives and careers of 15 brilliant female artists in this smart, feisty, educational, and enjoyable book.

4 out of 5 stars

How has this person narrated so many books?

By
Jessie
on
08-13-18

Francis Bacon in Your Blood

By:
Michael Peppiatt

Narrated by:
Michael Peppiatt

Length: 16 hrs and 26 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
29

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
28

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
27

Michael Peppiatt met Francis Bacon in June 1963 in Soho's French House to request an interview for a student magazine he was editing. Bacon invited him to lunch, and over oysters and Chablis they began a friendship and a no-holds-barred conversation that would continue until Bacon's death 30 years later. Fascinated by the artist's brilliance and charisma, Peppiatt accompanied him on his nightly round of prodigious drinking from grand hotel to louche club and casino, seeing all aspects of Bacon's 'gilded gutter life' and meeting everybody around him.

5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely delicious!

By
hester
on
09-14-18

Picasso: Creator and Destroyer

By:
Arianna Stassinopoulos Huffington

Narrated by:
Wanda McCaddon

Length: 19 hrs and 30 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
75

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
69

Story

4 out of 5 stars
68

This landmark biography penetrates the barriers of legend to bring to full and intimate life a man whose burning passions - for painting, women, and ideas - were matched by a compulsion to invent reality in his life no less than in his art. Here is the tragic story of a man who, from his teenage passion for a gypsy boy to the chilling bitterness and betrayals of his old age, was unable to love and was driven to dominate and humiliate the women - and men - who fell under his hypnotic spell.

1 out of 5 stars

Biased, Subjective and Unsubstantiated.

By
Terry Masters
on
06-18-14

My Life and Love Are One: Quotations From the Letters of Vincent Van Gogh to His Brother Theo

By:
Vincent Van Gogh

Narrated by:
Jason Zenobia

Length: 22 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
1

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
1

Story

4 out of 5 stars
1

This insightful look into one of mankind's favorite artists traces the magic and melancholy of Vincent Van Gogh. Out of Vincent's letters to his brother Theo, as collected by Irving Stone, we have selected an exciting and sensitive series of quotations. The quotations in My Life and Love Are One revolve around three themes - love, art, and turmoil. Centered around emotion and creation, Vincent's writing and philosophy is as expressive as his art.

Portrait of an Artist

A Biography of Georgia O’Keeffe

By:
Laurie Lisle

Narrated by:
Grace Conlin

Length: 13 hrs and 38 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
182

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
142

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
141

Georgia O'Keeffe, one of the most original painters America has ever produced, left behind a remarkable legacy when she died at the age of 98. Her vivid visual vocabulary, sensuous flowers, bleached bones against red sky and earth, had a stunning, profound, and lasting influence on American art in this century.

5 out of 5 stars

Superb biography and reader

By
Tony
on
04-15-07

Turner

The Extraordinary Life and Momentous Times of J. M. W. Turner

By:
Franny Moyle

Narrated by:
John Sackville

Length: 17 hrs and 45 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
37

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
34

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
34

J. M. W. Turner is one of the most important figures in Western art, and his visionary work paved the way for a revolution in landscape painting. Over the course of his lifetime, Turner strove to liberate painting from an antiquated system of patronage. Bringing a new level of expression and color to his canvases, he paved the way for the modern artist.

5 out of 5 stars

Balanced biography of a complex artist

By
Thomas S.
on
05-05-17

Old in Art School

By:
Nell Painter

Narrated by:
Nell Painter

Length: 11 hrs

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
74

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
69

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
69

Following her retirement from Princeton University, celebrated historian Dr. Nell Irvin Painter surprised everyone in her life by returning to school - in her 60s - to earn a BFA and MFA in painting. In Old in Art School, she travels from her beloved Newark to the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design; finds meaning in the artists she loves, even as she comes to understand how they may be undervalued; and struggles with the unstable balance between the pursuit of art and the inevitable, sometimes painful, demands of a life fully lived.

3 out of 5 stars

Mixed Feelings

By
Jillian
on
08-07-18

Lucian Freud

Eyes Wide Open

By:
Phoebe Hoban

Narrated by:
Laural Merlington

Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
37

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
31

Story

4 out of 5 stars
32

Phoebe Hoban, author of definitive biographies of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Alice Neel, now turns her attention to Lucian Freud, the grandson of Sigmund and one of the greatest painters England has produced.
Lucian Freud: Eyes Wide Open is the first biography to assess Freud’s work and life, showing how the two converge.

5 out of 5 stars

great incite to a great artist

By
Anonymous User
on
07-09-18

Publisher's Summary

Each night, when the hours of painting and drawing were over, Vincent van Gogh put pen to paper and poured out his heart through letters to his beloved brother, Theo, his confidant and companion. No thought was too small, no element of his craft too insignificant, no happening too trivial. It was all scrupulously recorded and shared.

In these letters, Van Gogh reveals himself as artist and man. Even more than if he had purposely intended to tell his life story, Van Gogh’s letters lay bare his deepest feelings, as well as his everyday concerns and his views of the world of art. Irving Stone has edited the letters of Vincent in such a way as to retain every line of beauty, significance, and importance. “It is my humble opinion that Vincent was as great a writer and philosopher,” Stone says, “as he was a painter.”

Story

If you know Vincent's life story already this is a perfect audio book for you.

I wanted to try this because I was a fan of Lust For Life the movie and the audio book. Since Irving Stone was the author of Lust For Life I felt his editing of Vincent's letters could be trusted. I always wanted to read his letters so when I found this audio book I was excited.

This audio book is over 21 hours long. It is straight from his letters and is the words of Vincent. It gives you very detailed times during his life. If you know his story already and want his feelings and take on his life this is a perfect book. I believe you will enjoy it as much as I do.

Worst narrator ever!

Interesting from an art history perspective, and to witness the thinking of Van Gogh.

What didn’t you like about Clive Chafer’s performance?

Almost a complete monotone all the way through. I am pretty sure that Vincent Van Gogh was a very passionate man, but the entire book was read in a near monotone. It was so excruciating to listen to that I put it down for months at a time.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Dear Theo?

No scenes - these are his letters to his brother, so no editing. I would select a more passionate narrator.

The best book I've ever read

Who would have known that Vincent van Gogh could write as beautifully as he painted? this book is uplifting, inspiring and heart wrenching. The letters he writes to his brother are exceptionally descriptive and not only give insight into the world of fine arts that is enough to inspire even the least artistic person to at least view art through a different lens, but they also give so much insight into mental illness and the difference between pain and suffering. Hands down, one of the most interesting and entertaining books I've ever read. I'll be buying a hard copy just so I can see all the sketches that are mentioned.

Great book, good reader.

However, I would have loved to know the time span in between Vincent's letters as I am guessing the original letters might have been dated as was typical for correspondence. Also, the reader could have paused a bit while reading instead of running the letters together. It made it difficult to know if one letter had been concluded before the next letter started. At times, the only way I was able to know there was a change in the time line of events was that Vincent would mention the change of seasons in his locations. Otherwise, it was great to listen to.

Haircolorguy_

Fabulous Book, Breathlessly Read

Van Gogh's letters to Theo, his brother, his confidante, and his only financial support, offer a intimate glimpse into his struggle to be an artist at the dawn of modernity. One of a number of late 19th century artists rebelling against the norms of classical and realistic art, Van Gogh fought personal poverty, public hostility, professional scorn as well as his own demons to hammer out his life's work. The letters chronicle his challenges. Deeply thoughtful and eloquent, they give voice to his difficulties in learning how to how to draw and paint, express his financial worries and schemes, and offer his personal take on artists he loved and loathed. This Audible edition is fun to listen to, but the reader reads too quickly (perhaps they gave him a time limit?) Without pausing sufficiently, one thought or idea piles up behind another, and the listener sometimes can't absorb the material, enjoy a lovely sentence, or just ponder Van Gogh's often penetrating insight. Still, it's definitely worth a listen, especially if you have a hard copy to accompany the audio version or just remember to turn it off every once in a while to let the thoughts of Van Gogh's volcanic personality sink in.